Friday, February 9, 2018

How we are creating Sustainable Proof of Concepts within our
Programming to give our Artists the best possible chances of Visibility and Opportunity:

Itemized List of Production Costs on the “No-Budget Feature
Film” (Proof of Concept)

Item

Cost

Notes

Script

$0

We don’t pay for our scripts.
We write them ourselves, which means years of free labor we’ve put
in.

Camera Equipment

$500-$800 – repairs/upgrades to cameras, batteries, ect…

$240-$350 – for software programs and licenses

(One plugin to our software can cost upwards of $700/each, but thanks
to AOF, we’ve gotten $5,000 worth of software plug-ins for FREE). Our operations are professional, high end
tech, and on the cutting edge of industry standards.

We invested tens of thousands of dollars into camera equipment early
on so that we could make our films.
This means you aren’t paying for the rental or initial investment of any
camera equipment. But we often have to
make repairs/replace parts, or purchase software. We set aside a budget to cover the wear/tear
on our equipment and the software memberships that we need to make the films.

Actors/Stunt Players

$0

We don’t pay our actors or stunt players (yet). We use our students so they get the
visibility and credit for making an awesome movie.

Crew

$0

We don’t pay our crew (yet), we use our students and helpful volunteers,
and ourselves to do the labor necessary to make the film.

Rehearsal Location

$0

Media Academy student tuition does not go towards paying for Free
Flow Academy business expenses of Rent/Insurance/Employee Salaries, Utilities…
ect. All the tuition money goes directly
into making the production.

Filming Locations

$0

We rely on our cast/crew to deliver up many of the locations (private
properties, personal homes, nearby public parks (which are often free to
shoot in/permits are free) ect…

Wardrobe

$20-$100 per character

We usually have to spend money on costumes, depending on the type of
project. For “Immortal Fist” it was
our biggest expense. One mask cost $70, and wardrobe cost was around $20-$30 per character. It all added up even when some actors wore
their own clothing. Expect to wear
your own clothing in some scenes, or perhaps for the entire film.

Props

$500

Again this depends on the project.
For “Immortal Fist” we needed a lot of cool looking weapons and
interesting props to make the characters and scenes dynamic. They were also part of the storyline.

Food/Craft Service

$0

Generally on a no-budget film, food is the biggest expense. It is industry etiquette to, at the very
least, feed your people. But we also
know most of our talent and crew still live at home and usually can’t handle
long hours on set anyway (we work with a lot of kids), so we ask everyone
pack their own food/snacks.

Permits/Insurance

$100-$500

We can’t get around this one, we have to be insured in order to
operate our business. And the State of
CA does require filming permits, even if you’re doing it on private property.

Editing/Post-Production

$0

We do all of this in house. We
don’t have to pay anyone for post-production costs.

Music Licensing

$500 is our budget. This
covers the license costs on small indie license fees.

Bigger labels charge $700-$1000 per minute of song use

Even when we are using indie/local artists, and trading for credit,
there are still costs that come with music.
Sometimes it’s a software program we need to get for sound effects, or
one time license fee for some songs on the net. It’s really important we cover our basis on
getting the proper clearances because if we don’t, that can sabotage the
entire production. We cannot get a
distribution deal if our clearances are not in place.

Audio/Lights/Grip

$400

We lost around $1,000 worth of lighting on our last production. They didn’t like the rain/moisture in the
air that poured down upon us unexpectedly.
But we were able to make repairs for a few hundred dollars.

Our total
Production Budget for above items is estimated at $3,000

What about teachers?

Yes, we do need to pay teachers to run the weekly stunt and
film workshops. Free Flow Media Academy
is FIRST and foremost an enriching educational opportunity. We pay our teachers hourly for the time and
energy they spend with the students over the course of 3 months. We usually have 5-7 coaches working with
students throughout the course of the 12-week program. This cost is factored in and usually takes up
our remaining budget. Our teacher to
student ratio is around 6:1

Our Total Expenses on
the Production/Program Orchestration is estimated at $5,000-$6,500 (That’s less
than a school play, or a basketball tournament).
But does a school play or basketball tournament give you a professional
IMDB profile? Something to put on your
resume? An exciting extracurricular to
put on your College Application? A
potential career? A fun and exciting
side hustle? Years or possibly decades of extended opportunities? It’s a no brainer…

What about distribution costs?

-Film Festivals

-Film Markets

-Aggregators

-Self Distribution Platforms/Peer to Peer Networks

Film Festivals
- We didn’t have a budget for distribution expenses when we shot “Immortal Fist”. We came out of pocket to submit the film to
film festivals, (which we got in to AOF and had our film premiered at Brenden Theaters/Palms
Casino and Resort in Las Vegas, NV) and we had the opportunity to see our film
on the BIG SCREEN! We also had a Red
Carpet Premiere and had the opportunity to participate in fun workshops. It was a very enriching experience for our
students, and our plan is to submit to AOF every year.

Because we had to come out of pocket for festival expenses,
we only submitted to one. But we really
should submit to 5-10 festivals so that we can have more visibility and
opportunities to network with other artists.
Film Festivals are an opportunity to have your movie peer reviewed by
other working artists in the industry. Your
industry peers can become your greatest allies and friends, because they will
help spread the word about your film, and there is a possibility you will
connect with other content creators, and help make their next movie! Film Festivals house a wide range of talent,
from directors, producers, actors, stunt players, writers, journalists, and
more. We’re going to be picky about the
festivals we submit to, so we will only submit to moderate to large festivals
that have a strong reputation, and have been around in the industry for
years.

Film Festival Submission Cost - $55-$200 per film

Film Markets –Film Markets are different than
festivals. This is where buyers
congregate from world wide territories to purchase content for their TV
stations, Cinemas, and Streaming platforms.
You want your film at all the major Film Markets such as AFM, Mipcom,
and Ventana Sur. “Immortal Fist” went to
all of these Film Markets. We did not
come out of pocket to go because we landed a Distributor that pays for these
expenses. The cost is a whopping $20,000 tobring
your film to these markets. But “Immortal
Fist” is now being reviewed by the Chinese censorship board, and we just landed
a distribution deal in Vietnam.
Visibility/Proximity is power, and you can’t earn that, unless you’re
willing to market your product. But marketing
is a major expense. We’d like to attend
the film markets in the future, so we can help sell our product. A single badge is around $400 to enter the
markets.

Film Market Badges - $400/person ($1,200 for Sales Team)
(This price is just to get in. Once you’re
in, it costs around $50 for a taco. So… we’ll
sneak in our own food)

Aggregators –Aggregators allow you to distribute your
content on Amazon, Netflix, iTunes, and a number of streaming based platforms. This is pretty much how indie content is
being picked up by the major guys. You
need to “pay to play,” and drive as much traffic as possible to the “play” so
that the platforms can see your content is “commercially viable.” Having your stuff on an Aggregator also means
visibility and potential sales. You get
the major portion of the proceeds on each download, so this creates a pipeline to
develop the content further (for a sequel or spin off). Our plan is to create solid proof of
concepts, and give them an opportunity to become a “commercially viable” entity. If the show makes money, we all make money,
and will have a return on our investment.
That doesn’t mean we’ll refund you for the tuition costs and then
some. It means that once we’ve reached a
certain payment threshold to make another project, we will then develop a
project (a sequel, or spin off) in which you will be a paid performer or
creative contributor. We need to reach a
specific payment threshold so that we can pay EVERYONE that was a part of the project. So once we reach a budget where we can honorably
pay everyone for their time and energy… ($10/day for a performer is NOT
honorable)… meaning we will use a model that is up to par with industry standards.

Aggregator Cost – Estimated $1,200 for each streaming platform
(we’ll want to do the major 3) Amazon, Netflix, and iTunes – Total is around $5,000
(We are estimating moderately because you have to do a lot of spec
requirements in addition to paying the basic fees. They get you on that, because if you don’t
meet their very specific technical requirements, you can pay them to do it for
you, which is usually the case from what I hear).

Self
Distribution/Peer to Peer Networks – Distributing on YouTube is free, but
you are also giving away your content for free.
So the possibility of making a ROI is slim. You need millions of hits in order to earn
anything, and YouTube is paying less and less for the monetized content. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it as a
last resort. Again, visibility is a top
priority. But we always want to explore
the other options before doing this. We
always want to give our Artists and our Project the best possible chances of
success. Once you distribute on a
platform like YouTube, no one else will take your project. It will be rejected by Film Festivals, and the
film will be pirated, and downloaded/reposted to other channels, ect… Distributors
will pass…

However, the peer to peer network is changing. We expect some major disruptions to the
industry due to some new advancements in technology, that is putting even more
power/leverage into the content creators hands.
Peer to Peer networks will be using blockchain technology to change the
playing field. We are expecting some
interesting new models by the end of 2018.

Estimated Cost – Unknown/Free (but we need to wait on this)

Total
Estimated Marketing/Distribution Costs - $6,700 (This part we Crowdfund)

We aren’t
going to ask our clients to pay for possibilities. Which is why our tuition costs are broken
down as they are. Our clients only pay
for what is concrete – the enriching educational experience.

But we know the possibility is endless, and with a good strategy, we can optimize the experience for everyone.
Which is why we are going to crowdfund/fundraise for the distribution
costs. Remember when you were a kid and
you sold candy bars to raise money for projects that may or may not come to
fruition during your time at the school?
I remember my elementary school had bookoo fundraisers to build a new
gym. After years and years of fundraising
we finally got the gym, and that was also the same year I graduated. So even though I only got to use the gym a
few times, my nieces and nephews now go to that school, and I feel proud that we
had a hand in it’s manifestation.

Our
crowdfund campaigns will give our community and extended community a chance to
get involved with project. Your Aunt and
Uncle might be named an Executive Producer, your friends and neighbors who own
businesses may want some shout outs, and/or we’ll pre-sell limited edition
copies with blooper extras… the point is, crowdfunding will be creative, and
add a ton of value to the experience, without costing anyone a lot of
money.

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Survival Science was developed by Free Flow Academy Founder's Elle and Lon Beyer, Free Flow Academy Certified Parkour Trainer Colton Fuller, and Free Flow Academy Video Specialist Michael Poole. After discovering Sacramento, CA was the 2nd worst city in the US for human trafficking, the 4 decided to create a program designed to help empower people in the primitive life skills of self defense. Survival Science is the first Self Defense curriculum to use Parkour and Martial Arts combined, as a way to train the physical body, and train the mind to overcome any obstacle in your path.

Your Life is Worth Protecting. This Issue is Worth Pursuing.

These are the foundational principles that guide our research and programming. The reality is that sexual assault is a prevalent danger in our society. Let's make sure the Survivors voices are heard, we learn from them, and we take action to stop sex crimes once and for all.

Our Program Contents

~ A comprehensive look at the how and why sex crimes occur.

~ Learn self defense techniques that are proven to work and offset the dangerous reality that sexual predators with intent to rape, are at large.

~ Building an understanding of conduct, to recognize if YOU may be demonstrating actions that are equivalent to the actions of a sexual predator.

~ An educational, scientifically supported program that empowers women and men to take down rape culture in our society.

1 in 4 American women are victims of sexual assault

Women ages 12-34 are the highest risk group for sexual assault and human trafficking

We also offer fully Downloadable Video Programs to Show at Your School or Organization. Hours of Content Empower you as an Educator to decide how to best serve your students and/or clients.

OR...

Book Our Team to Present! We provide lectures, talks, and even dazzling Martial Arts & Parkour demonstrations and workshops!

Your will to live is imperative in aiding you in your Survival Science arsenal. When faced with doubt, fear, and uncertainty, our human responses to perceived danger are three-pronged. We either fight, flee, or freeze. Scientific studies suggest that these responses are built in, innate, and have proven useful to our human survival. Freezing, is derived of times where wild animals were continuously present, over the course of our evolution. In this series we hone the fight and flight response. We pose the statement, "Your Life is Worth Protecting". In order to properly align yourself with the information we will be imparting, we ask that you ponder thoughtfully, the things in your life that really matter to you. In order to optimize the value of this information you must desire to live and survive above all else.

"When it comes to protecting your life, you must understand that your body and mind are the weapon." - Ms. Elle

FFACT is an acronym for Free Flow Academy Certified Trainer. Free Flow Academy is the first Parkour gym in Northern California, and is the largest Parkour gym on the West Coast. Our Academy started out much like any other, we were a group of athletes, who needed a place to train and cultivate our talents. After opening our doors, our classes expanded, and over the course of time, we needed a systematic and proven approach to train other qualified professionals. Our students and clients are extremely important to us, and as trainers, our highest priority is to keep our clients safe. We take prospective coaches to the next level and teach them to incorporate proven and effective methodology that is backed by Science. Our team of professionals consist of biomechanists, researchers, developers, creative artists, youth and adult programmers, and entertainers. All of which play an important role in creating safe, effective, and entertaining settings that optimize the clientele learning experience. Proper implementation of skill progressions are an important part of being a coach, and are meticulously covered during the certification process. Things that will be covered are skill progressions, human anatomy, terminology, building confidence in your students, history, philosophy, conditioning exercises and programming, and much more.

Is FFACT recognized in other other parts of the world?

Free Flow Academy is recognized world wide within the Parkour and Martial Arts community. In addition, Free Flow Academy and many FFACT Instructors work directly with California State agencies, implementing Physical Education programming throughout dozens of school districts. Some of our Parkour programming has also been utilized at the University level, helping to shape the thoughts and modalities utilized in the next generation Kinesiology Science.

How do I use FFACT to land jobs as a Parkour Instructor?

Many gyms all over the world are incorporating Parkour into their programming. Gymnastic gyms, rockclimbing, martial arts, crossfit, primal fitness, circus arts, and many other types of gyms have already brought Parkour programming in some form or another into their business model. If they haven't already, then they will. However, over the course of the last few years particularly 2012-2015, many gyms have shut down their Parkour programs and/or have renamed them under other forms such as "Urban Gym". This is due to liability issues and insurance companies not allowing Parkour to be taught at facilities that are not properly equipped or staffed. Having a FFACT Cert gives you legitimacy as a coach, and reference to draw from when you are questioned about your qualifications. Furthermore, the knowledge you obtain from our Certification course will give you the tools you need to properly implement a safe and successful Parkour program at any gym. Simply do a search on your local gyms and find out what kind of programming they offer. If they do not have a Parkour program, perhaps you can bring one to table. We give you the tools to do that. Starting a program at a gym is a great way to segue into opening your own Parkour gym.

How long is the Certification?

The Certification is 3 days long 9am - 3pm each day. Plan on bringing plenty of food, snacks, and water.

What should I wear to the Certification?

You should wear comfortable workout attire, as the Certification includes a written AND physical test. Wearing low soled exercise shows such as feiyues are also helpful.

How much money can I make as a Parkour Instructor?

Our Certified instructors make anywhere from $15 - $35/hour, depending on the class/size/budget of the program. Privates usually range from $40 - $120/hour depending on level of experience and expertise. This amount varies depending on what gym you are working for, but for a full class (6-8 students) instructors generally report an average of $20/hour, or per class.

What is included in my Certification?

Skill Progression Notes, Entry into our Certified Coaches Database (which can link to your own personal page), Official Certification, 3 day intensive with physical and written test.

What kind of Value does being in your Database offer?

Many of our coaches use their certification to work for Free Flow Academy. However, many move out of State, to teach at a local gym near their University or home town. Some personal trainers want to incorporate our programming into their fitness regimes. And some practitioners want to have the certification as a way to ensure they are training properly on their own. But being in the Database is unique because it links you to our network, and offers legitimate peer reviewed visibility. Plus, our database platform is viewed around 2,000 times per month (as of 2018) that number is expected to rise. Free Flow Academy is also a pioneer in our industry. We were the 4th Parkour gym in the USA, and the 8th Parkour gym in the world.

How do I work for Free Flow Academy?

Our hiring process involves Certification, plus one of the following - 3 month apprenticeship, or 2 month internship. Apprenticeship's are for prospective coaches who desire to Coach within a program or department that currently exists. Internships are for prospective coaches who desire to start a new program or department that does not currently exist. In order to enroll in either program, you must have a minimum of 2 years experience in that particular discipline. You must be a current member of the gym in order to enroll in our apprenticeship program, unless your qualifications are a B.S. in Movement Sciences or you have a certification or educational level that is equivalent.

How do I start my own Parkour Gym?

Starting your own Parkour Gym is an incredibly rewarding experience, but can also come with some steep challenges. We're here to support you on your journey. Our Level I Certification does not cover the basics of starting your own Parkour Gym. Before considering taking on such a large undertaking, you'll want to have a strong foundation. We believe in setting you up for success, and something like starting a business is a long term investment. Being informed, and understanding market trends, Google analytics, market research within your area, knowing and understanding compliance laws at the Federal, State, and County level, dealing with leasing contracts or buying commercial property, obtaining insurance, managing a team of employees, marketing, accounting/bookkeeping... are just a few things that you'll need to know when starting this venture. Our job is not to discourage you. Our job is to keep you safe, minimize your risk, and set you up for a successful and sustainable future.

Monday, February 5, 2018

For some of us at Free Flow Academy, Maui is a place we once called home. Let us take you on an epic adventure few people have the opportunity to experience. Get down into the local scene by exploring places that you won't find on any tourist brochure. Have your own personal tour guide throughout the entire journey saving you hundreds, possibly even thousands of dollars.

We'll take you on some of the most famous waterfall hikes in the world (the known and the unknown) explore some of the most remote and beautiful beaches in the world, train in the deep jungles of Maui, participate in daily Parkour, Kung Fu, and Aerial Silks training, free dive, snorkel, boogie board, and so much more.

$695/person, $1,200/couple, $2,000/Family of 4 ($400 each add'l person over the age of 2)

All Lodging is One Bedroom Lodging or equivalent.

Round Trip airfare is NOT included. Round trip airfare from Sacramento/SF to Maui is usually in the $400-$1,000/person range depending on the time of year.

Extra Activities: - Hiking through the World’s Most Beautiful Tropical Rainforests. Walk through waterfalls, swim in lagoons, and find yourself in some of the most breathtakingly beautiful places in the world. - Visit golden and black sand beaches - Snorkeling and Free Diving - Enjoy the local flavors – exotic fruits and handmade goodies sold along the roadside - Fishing/Spearfishing - Exploring Sea Caves - Exploring Caves deep within the Island.